As you progress in your learning curve with RC helicopters, you get excited about doing more tricks and aerobatics. Fortunately, you don’t have to be an expert pilot to start walking your first steps into the amazing world of 3D flight. However, in order to do this, you need to have the right gear, and this is why today I want to talk about the Blade 120 SR helicopter, which is a definitive milestone in your journey to become an expert RC helicopters pilot.

Blade is an amazing brand. They offer some of the top RC aviation gadgets in the market right now. Also, they do care a lot about their customers, and their reputation is a serious thing for them. When you get a Blade RC helicopter, even when you pay a bit more for an RC helicopter that seems to be the same than other similar helis, you’re actually buying a premium brand product that will last for years.

The Blade 120 SR helicopter doesn’t look like a big deal, but don’t let this micro size gadget fool you. It has more power than you imagine, and here I want to share with you the details of it. Here is the Blade 120 SR in a nutshell.

Ready to Fly and Test-Flown to Guarantee Your Satisfaction

Having an RTF gadget is very important when you move to a new RC helicopter level, which is the case of many of the pilots purchasing this bird. If you’ve never flown a single rotor heli, which is also as powerful as this one, you want to make sure that the whole ship is fully and well assembled in order to have a great flight experience. Later, you can build your own kit and enjoy that experience as well.

The Blade 120 SR RC helicopter comes fully assembled from the factory and it’s 100% tested before shipping to ensure that everything works as advertised. This is why lots of people love Blade, since they always go the extra mile and provide top quality gadgets that last.

The Single Rotor Blade makes this one a Game Changer!

Once you’ve mastered your skills as a coaxial RC heli pilot, the obvious and next step is a single main rotor blade aircraft. The reason is very simple, it’s much more fun! The thing with single rotor blade helis is that they can be a bit more complex for the beginner pilot, especially without any previous experience. The reason why this happens is because stability, which is probably the most important aspect of the flight experience, is harder to achieve with one blade spinning in only one direction, thus, more tools are needed in order to have a stable flight.

Most single rotor blade helis use an artifact called gyro, which essentially keeps the helicopter going in the direction that the pilot commands through the transmitter. They’re pretty stable and you can have a flawless flight experience, if you’ve trained properly. This is the case of the Blade 120 SR, which is a single main rotor blade heli. It comes with a gyro device, and if you’re ready for a heli like this, the 120 SR is a great choice.

Blade is famous for installing non-complex circuitry on its devices. This not only simplifies the design but also makes a lower cost product, not to be confused with a cheap or poor quality one. Some may say that having everything concentrated in the 5-in-1 control unit (Receiver, Gyro, Mixer, Electronic Speed Controls, and proportional servos) is not a good idea, but the truth is that if your device crashes and breaks, you don’t have lots of part flaying all around, also, this helps to make a more stable unit since the center of gravity is properly placed, and not just established by default.

You can see this when you fly the Blade 120 SR, which is one of the helis that Blade designed with the 5-in-1 control unit. Also, it comes with the Spektrum technology, which assures an interference-free experience while you fly this RC helicopter.

If you’ve researched the flight simulators’ market, you know that the Phoenix simulator is a top software that emulates most of the flight conditions you can find in the real world, also, it includes some of the most popular models of RC helicopters you can find in the market and practice using those, thus you can learn and crash a virtual version of your favorite helis without actually crashing your budget.

What is inside the box of the Blade 120 SR?

It’s not a secret that one of the most exciting moments with any RC heli is the unboxing. However, it is also important to know exactly what to expect when you open the box. Thus, I give you a list here of the things you should find once you receive your Blade 120 SR.

1x Blade 120 SR RC helicopter

1x 4Ch Transmitter, 2.4 GHz (only with RTF version)

1x variable rate Li-Po charger

1x 1S 500mAh Li-Po battery

1x AC power supply

Hear from real customers who already have the Blade 120 SR

Source: Amazon.com – Verified Purchase, October 2015

Fun helicopter to fly. Can actually withstand some wind but not much. Overall, good for the price.

Source: Amazon.com – Verified Purchase, November 2014

This was my first “real” radio controlled heli. It’s a great intermediate level to use after you get used to fly an entry-level coaxial. It’s is durable and cheap and easy to replace parts as you learn. It’s so much fun and if you are a decent pilot, you can fly it inside your house. The controller is fine for learning, but anyone in the hobby suggests getting a better controller if you can afford it. I would suggest buying at least two extra batteries, so you can fly much longer. Flight time is about seven minutes per charge, which is normal for RC helis.

Source: Amazon.com – Verified Purchase, February 2011

The 120 SR is very forgiving, and a great chopper to progress to from coaxial. I’ve had it for a week now, and have learned to hover quite well and have moved on to more advanced maneuvers. I have tried to fly it outside, but it was too windy for my skill; a more experienced pilot could fly it quite easily in light to moderate wind.

The chopper is very durable, although it is not indestructible. I have broken a tail rotor and the landing gear, but both are available locally and on line at very reasonable prices (most parts are under 5 bucks). There are also several companies who sell upgraded aluminum and carbon fiber parts for these birds, so if you’re into modding, you will not be disappointed.

A lot of sites compare this chopper to the mSR. I have flown a friend’s mSR, and inside they handle very much alike, although you will need more room for the 120. Outside, the mSR is practically impossible to fly. The 120 has enough mass to be more stable in light winds, and with practice, I believe it could easily be flown outdoors.

This is not a toy, please don’t buy it for young kids. It is very stable, but takes practice and dedication to learn to fly properly. In the hands of a young child, I suspect it would not survive long at all. However, if you are looking for a quality, durable hobby-grade model to learn fixed pitch single rotor flight with, I highly recommend the 120 SR.

Source: Amazon.com – Verified Purchase, November 2010

This helicopter is really stable so you can hover it easily. Its like a bigger version of the mSR but I really find much more stable and easy to fly the 120 SR probably because its bigger size and better tail rotor response. Most of the time I fly it outdoors and its great, fast and agile but controlable. I now use the more “aggressive” setting on the swash plate so its more responsive when there is some wind. I’m really amazed how easy to fly is this model and the build quality. The rotors are strong and can spin on their base so they don’t break easily.
Highly recommend this helicopter as a second model after having some experience with a coaxial model but it can be really used successfully as a first model because its great stability.

Any downsides?

I consider really valuable to have a complete image of the product I’m buying, and not just one side of the story. As I’ve previously said on this site, I only include in my reviews those devices which have the approval of most people, however, we have to be realistic and accept that not all things are perfect, and this is what this section is all about.

A few customers who own this RC helicopter are dealing with an issue that is, unfortunately, quite common: broken helis when they arrive. This is why I want to share my thoughts about this and hopefully help you when making a decision.

I have a background in the medical industry, and even there I know that doctors and patients issue complaints about the products. Getting back to RC helis, you have to know that lots of companies don’t even manufacture their gadgets using good quality materials or assembly methods. This is not the case of Blade helis, since they use properly engineered components to build the RC helicopters that all of us enjoy a lot.

However, there is something in the nature of the world called: variance. This is a natural aspect of things. Everything varies at least a bit. In the case of RC helis, not all helis are manufactured exactly the same, not all components are exactly the same, and this and other factors make each device unique. However, there are quality standards and processes that if followed, can assure that the most part of the helis assembled are similar. Thus, a good name and a brand can be built. This is what Blade is all about.

I give this long explanation here because I saw a few comments saying that how can be possible that broken helis leave the factory without being detected. This is pretty normal, and even when companies do a lot to minimize this, it still occurs.

If you happen to have a defective heli from Blade, please don’t take it personal (the comments I saw seemed very personal). I am sure that if you call them you’ll get help, also, if you purchase this item from Amazon, no questions asked, you can return the item and ask for a refund; so don’t get caught in the drama that much and make the call or send a message for getting help.

Ok I’m in! – Where can I get the Blade 120 SR?

If after reading my entire review of this heli (thanks for that) you want to give it a try, it would be a good thing to know where is the best place to get it from. Of course you can get it at a retail store near you (some people think that’s still a good idea), but you want to consider that just because of the inventory costs and employees of this place, the price of your helicopter it’s going to be higher.

These gadgets can be a bit expensive, and if you want to save huge money, then the best move is to get your RC heli online. The list price of this helicopter is $169.99, but if you get it from the right online store, you can get it with at least 20% off. After looking for the best deals online, and also evaluating the customer service, and considering the information available on different sites, the best place to get it is Amazon.

Get your Blade 120 SR and share your experience with all of us here

I already did my homework with this entire review, now it’s your turn. Get your Blade 120 SR and post in the comments section your experience with it. Also, if you enjoyed this page, I invite you to push the social buttons and share this content with your friends and family.

RCHobbiesonAir.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program which is designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking RCHobbiesonAir.com and amazon.com